Description & Mission

Description

The Boston Printmakers is international, professional print alliance based in Boston. It offers the best of contemporary print media, supporting traditional print techniques as well as promoting printmaking in the expanded field of installation, performance, and time-based media. Interfacing with digital media, prints are well positioned to play a cultural role in promoting justice and equity. The Boston Printmakers promotes public knowledge and understanding; it supports printmaking as both a traditional practice and an interdisciplinary field. We are globally minded in our exhibition exchanges and travel opportunities, including past exchanges with artists in Cuba, Poland, Iceland, China, Vietnam, The Netherlands, Mexico, and Italy. The Boston Printmakers is a nonprofit organization open to printmakers in The U.S., Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.

The Boston Printmakers offers a wide-ranging means to expand one’s own art practice and to connect with other printmakers. Members are accomplished artists who are supportive of one another, and eager to promote the work of emerging artists. Joining The Boston Printmakers not only provides opportunities to show one’s work, but also offers connections with fellow artists invested in print media at various stages of their careers. The Boston Printmakers offers exhibition opportunities, residencies, international trips, exchanges, and scholarships. We provide an online platform for exchange between members. Our mission is to further the exchange of ideas, to encourage excellence in contemporary print practices, and to promote visibility for artwork grounded in print media.

At the time of its 75th anniversary The Boston Printmakers remains a vibrant, active organization with origins in the traditional media of printmaking and eyes to the future of the print.

The Boston Printmakers, founded in 1947 by a small group of energetic students, has had a 75-year trajectory of excellence in print media. As a professional group on the edge of the expanding field of printmaking, our practice encompasses a multi-faceted range of approaches. The Boston Printmakers is noted for its sponsorship and management of the North American Print Biennial. In conjunction with its Biennial, The Boston Printmakers also manages and funds exhibitions and forums for students. Since the beginning, The Boston Printmakers has had a close relationship with the Boston Public Library, where its archives are housed. The collection is available on The Digital Commonwealth.

Mission

The objectives of the organization are to:

  • Promote public knowledge, understanding, and support for printmaking
  • Encourage and support artists working in printmaking
  • Promote excellence in printmaking
  • Support innovation within the field of printmaking

PHOTO: Mary Teichman, Holyoke, MA, Trainspotting, 2015, Multiple plate color etching, 11.7/8” x 19-7/8”